Wrestling | March 8

TRENTON, New Jersey—Blake West (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) claimed the first 125-pound title for the Northern Illinois University Huskies wrestling program since the 2007 Championships and earned the automatic qualification to the 2025 NCAA Championships as action concluded at the 2025 MAC Championships. 
 
West, the top-seeded wrestler at 125 pounds, posted a 13-2 major decision over Clarion's Travis Clawson, the seven seed, on route to the title. West posted his tenth major decision and ninth straight victory. West earned All-MAC First Team honors with the championship title. Previously, West had taken runner-up honors in 2024 and third-place honors in 2023.
 
Landen Johnson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) secured his spot in the upcoming NCAA Championship with a 12-6 decision over Ryan Burgos in the third-place match. Johnson came from behind in the third-place match for the final automatic qualifying spot at 157 pounds. In his first match of the day, Johnson took on Kaleb Burgess in his consolation semifinal and grabbed an early takedown for a 3-0 lead. Johnson continued on the offensive, getting an escape and a second takedown to post a 7-3 decision. 
 
With West and Johnson's victories, the NIU wrestling program has extended their streak on NCAA qualifiers to 54 consecutive years.  This is the second straight year NIU has had two qualifiers and first time since the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

As a team, the Huskies finished in seventh place with 49.5 points.
 
"We are incredibly fired up for Blake and Landen punching their tickets to NCAA's," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "Blake had a dominant showing to bring home the MAC title, which is a great reflection of his steadfast leadership. Landen has been incrementally better each time he steps on the mat so it's great to see him rewarded for his hard work."
 
Markel Baker (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) took control early in his consolation semifinal match against Nick Molchak of Cleveland State. Baker posted a 9-0 major decision win, his fourth of the season, to advance to the third-place match. Baker faced off against Edinboro's Colton Camacho in the third-place match, dropping the match via fall for a fourth-place finish. Baker finished fourth at the 2023 MAC Championships at 125 pounds as he competed for George Mason at the time.
 
"We are gutted for Markel as he works tirelessly to hone his craft. We are looking forward to the at large selections at 133," remarked Ludwig. "Tommy Bennett is a dawg. He competes with fire each time he steps out there, and he represents the program with pride. "It's a honor to corner these guys and work with this outstanding staff."
 
Tommy Bennett (Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice) bested his finish from a season ago, taking fifth at the 2025 Championships. Bennett battled Logan Messer of George Mason in the fifth-place match, holding on for a 4-2 decision. Bennett had a defensive battle in his first match of the day, taking on Luke Odom of SIUE. Bennett secured an escape point in the second period before Odom tied the match in the third. With less than 10 seconds remaining in action, Bennett got the only takedown of the bout to advance with a 4-1 decision. In his second match of the day, Bennett faced Michael Wilson of Rider, falling in a 10-7 decision. 
 
Collin Arch (Palmyra, Mo./Palmyra) competed in the consolation quarterfinals, taking on Ryan Michaels of Edinboro. Arch dropped a 15-5 major decision in his final match at the tournament.
 
The NCAA will reveal the at-large selections for the 2025 National Championship on March 11 with the bouts revealed on March 12. The 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will take place March 20-22 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.